The invention relates to a front loading laundry processing machine, preferably a washing machine, with a liquor container suspended in the appliance housing in an oscillating manner, and with a washing drum rotatable in the liquor container, with a material-elastic collar by means of which the liquor container is connected on the edge of its front-side loading opening to the housing-side loading opening in a liquid tight manner, as well as with a door sealing the housing-side loading opening with a filling element curved outwards towards the interior of the drum in the manner of a truncated cone.
The term “truncated cone” will in the following be understood to refer to a conical body with any base area with content arcs having any radii, e.g. in addition to circular base areas, also with oval, elliptical or oval base areas. The invention is described in the following with reference to a washing machine, but it may also be applied to a tumble dryer.
In order to prevent items to be washed, conveyed upwards during the washing process, from remaining on the pot-shaped filling body element in washing machines of prior art of the type already mentioned, an inwardly directed bevel is formed in the upper region of the filling element. The washing is able to slide down this obliquity and drop back into the interior of the drum by the force of gravity. This simple form of a washing deflector is used in many washing machines.
In a particular design of a bevelled filling element disclosed in DE 102 28 602 A1 the inwardly directed region of the filling element has a structure in the form of planar elevations and recesses arranged adjacent to each other. This shaped corrugated or fluted structure of the filling element projecting into the laundry processing space is intended to reinforce the introduction of mechanics into the items to be washed. The proposed shaping does positively influence the function as a washing deflector because no deflecting force component, but instead a rocking motion acting in small regions of the fabric components of the washing is generated.
When the washing machine is running, and particularly during the spinning acceleration, vibrations of the elastically suspended system consisting of the liquor container and washing drum are generally generated due to imbalance. Moreover, the overhung-mounted washing drum also vibrates to a lesser extent than the liquor container. To prevent the drum and the fixed collar from rubbing against each other, an adequate distance must be maintained between them. The same applies to the distance from the edge of the drum opening to the filling element projecting into the drum interior. These general conditions give rise structurally, between the drum edge, collar and filling element, to an annular gap which presents the risk that items of washing may be caught in it during the operation of the washing machine and items of washing moved with the rotating drum may rub against the fixed collar. As a result of this friction both the washing and the collar may also be damaged.
The tendency for washing to be conveyed from the rear region of the washing drum to the front region is reinforced by the size of the drum and the width of its filling opening. Besides the risk of damage to the washing and the collar due to mutual abrasion, the frictional forces impose a higher load on the drum drive motor. At a predetermined motor speed the drive moment that must necessarily be applied increases.
The washing moved with the rotating drum could also become trapped in the gap between the edge of the washing drum and the collar, which considerably increases the risk of damage to the washing and may prevent the drum from starting during washing and spinning. This will also overload the drive motor. Such risks are presented particularly when the drum is filled with washing to its maximum capacity.
To be able to eliminate the risks previously described washing deflectors have been developed as additional components besides the filling element. DE 103 59 011 B3 proposes fitting an annular elastic washing deflector to the liquor container so that the space between the filling element and the collar is at least partially filed. The constriction of the annular gap thus obtained reduces the risk of washing penetrating this space.
DE 20 2004 012 221 U1 describes a washing deflector which is secured in the upper region of the loading opening on the liquor container and extends into the region covered by the collar. The washing deflector has a triangular cross-section with symmetrical or asymmetrical edges. The apex of the triangle points upwards towards the centre of the filling opening. The triangular shape causes the washing to be detached in both directions of rotation with the same intensity, and in the case of asymmetrical triangles with an intensity that is dependent on the direction of rotation. To reduce the friction on the washing deflector is provided with a coating having very high lubricity.
In practice, however, that washing is still damaged by the use of the washing deflectors described, and undesirable friction on the collar still cannot be prevented.